Sigoueney wales



- of tin or other thin sheet metal, and of any de- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIGOURNEY WALES, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM HOWARD, on NEW YORK COUNTY, NEW YORK.

RAZOR-STROP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,419, dated July 1'7, 1883.

Application-filed May 19, 1883.v (No model.)

To ZZ whom, it may concern Be it known that I, SIGOURNEY WALES, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Razor-strops, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of razorstrops in which 'a soft leather strap strained between two bearing-points is used, and has for its object an improvement in the utility of the strop by increasing the number of working-surfaces, as well as an improvement in the mechanism for straining the leather strap; andit consists in certain novel constructions and arrangements of parts, which will be readily understood by reference to the description of the drawings and to the claims to be hereinafter given.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view, illustrating a longitudinal section of a three-sided strop with my improvements ap plied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a flat strop having two parallel working-faces. Fig. 4c is a similar section of a square strop hav ing four working sides, two of which are leather and the other two hone surfaces, with the addition of two detachable hone-surfaces. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a strop having two hone-surfaces and two leather surfaces and two receptacles for razors or other articles, and Fig. 6' is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 7 is a perspective viewof the removable tablet, and Fig. 8 is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the endless belt of leatheras used upon the strops illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 and Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the belt-fastening for uniting the two ends of the leather'strap to form an endless belt.

In the construction of my improved strops I first form a tube, a, of the desired cross-section, according to the style of strop to be made,

sired length, according to the length of strop desired. I then fit to the interior of said tube be made.

tube a is made three-cornered, and in the strops of which Figs. 3, 4, and 6 are sections the tubes at are rectangular, but of different proportions, according to the style of strop to In each case one of the blocks of wood, preferably the longest one, I), is permanently secured to the tube a.

A is the strop-handle mounted upon and secured to the screw-shank d, as set forth and described in another application of mine now pending in the Patent Oflice at Washington, filed March 19, 1883. The shank or screwrod 01 has formed thereon two pairs of radially-projecting wings or flanges, d and (1 ar ranged at a distance apart equal to the length of the wooden block 1) plus the thickness of the washer e, mounted upon said shank, and the thickness of the leather strap 0. The washer e is slipped on the screw-rod cl before one pair at least of the wings or flanges is formed thereon, and said rod has cut thereon a male screw-thread to fit and work in the nut f, as shown in Fig. 1. The wooden block b has a hole bored longitudinally through it of a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the screw rod or shank d, and the block b has a corresponding hole bored into its inner end, in line with the hole in the block b, to a sufficient depth to receive that part of the rod dwhich projects beyond the wings or flanges d When the rod d is completed, with washer e thereon, and the'wings d and (1 formed and the screw-thread cut thereon, the unthreaded I her. The nut f is then screwed upon the threaded end of the rod (1 till it comes in contact with the wings or flanges (3 when the block b is slipped into the tube a till the nut 5 f comes in contact with the'inner end of the block b, and the leather strap 0 is drawn taut over the lip b on the block b and secured thereto by tacks, as shown in Fig. 1. This description of the manner of applying the '10 leather strap is applicable to all forms of my improved strop in which only one leather surface is used; but in case two leather surfaces are desired the leather strap has its two ends united by the clasp or fastener h, provided with the two series of prongs h h, which pierce the leather, and are clinched down upon the inside of the strap, and between it and the end of the block I) or b, as shown in Fig. 5. The strap 0 has an opening punched through it at the center of its length, or so as to be directly opposite the clasp 71, as shown at 2', Fig. 9 5 or said hole may be made through the center of the clasp 71, if desired, said hole being for the passage of the rod (1 at the handle end of the 2 5 strop, which is passed through said Opening before the handle Ais driven upon the rod 11; and when the block b has been slipped into the tube a to its greatest depth the other end of the looped strap is slipped over the outer end of the block I), when it is strained by turning the handle A and screw-rod d, and requires no other fastening. The two exterior Surfaces of the tube a not covered by the leather strap 0 in the strops illustrated by 3 5 Figs. 1, 2, and 4, and the surface of said tube that is opposite to the leather strap a in Fig. 3, are covered with a covering of thin leather, upon whichisspreadacoating of emery and oil of different degrees of fineness when there is 0 more than one such surface, said different degrees of fineness being indicated by different colors in a well-known manner.

--"' The washer e and nut f are made of such a shape that they cannot revolve within the tube u, and the wings or flanges d simply serve to form a shoulder to bear against the washer e and confine the block 1) between it and the end of the handle; and therefore a circumferential collar formed on the rod (1' in place of said wings would be equally effective; and hence I do not wish to be confined to the particular form of the shoulder or projection shown.

It is very desirable to have a hone-surface composed of emery and glue or other suitable 5 5 adhesive material, for use when the razor is very dull, and it is also very desirable that the line finishing surface of the leather strap should be kept clean and free from grit. To attain both of these desirable ends, I apply a cover or tablet, j, made from sheet metal, and having lips j j turned at right angles to the main body thereof along its two sides, to the strop,

in such a manner as to cover said leather strap,

as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, and cover its outer surface with a coating of emery and glue,

which forms a good honesurface. The cover or tabletj has an ear or flange, j turned at right angles thereto at one end, in which is formed a slot, j, which engages with the screw-stud or knob k, set in the outer end of the block b, as shown in Fig. l, which prevents the tablet from moving endwise when stropping a razor.

In the strop shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the tube ahas built therewith or secured thereto one or more rectangular boxes for holding razors, brushes, or other articles, and in this case I pivot the tablet j, by the end opposite to the ear to the sides of said box or boxes, to serve as a cover thereto, and also as a hone, the slot in the ear j embracing the pin Zwhen the cover is closed.

One advantage of the use of my invention is the greatly-increased capacity of the strop, due to the use of the tablet or cover j, and another is that the inner end of the handle A is always in contact with the end of the strop instead of being removed from it, when the strap is new, so as to expose the screw-shank, as heretofore practiced, the mechanism for straining the leather strap in my strop being all out of sight within the metal tube a.

The tablet j may be covered with leather and a coating of emery and oil, instead of the hone-surface of glue and emery, and it may be used for covering the finely-finished surface 9 5 of the leather strap 0, for covering another hone-surface, or for covering a box or receptacle for the razor, brush, or other article. It may also be used with equal utility for covering a finely-finished russet-leather surface di- 10o rectly upon the surface of the body of the strop, as in strops that have only two working sides, like the so-called Emerson Strop.

All of the different forms of my improved strop are provided with cases (not shown) of ordinary construction, which inclose the body of the strop, including the tablets or covers.

The clasp h makes a very effective fastening for uniting the ends of the belt 0, when located so that its clinches are in contact with the end 1 10 of the block b or b, so that the clinched prongs cannot be straightened out by the strain on the belt.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is 1 I 5 1. In a razor-strop, the combination of the tube a, the movable block b, the fixed block b, the leather strap 0, the handleoperated screw d, and the nut f, all arranged and adapted to operate substantially as and for the pur- 12o poses described.

2. In combination with a razor-strop, the cover or tablet j, having a hone or other razorsharpening surface thereon, and arranged to be removed therefrom, substantially de- I2 5 scribed.

3. The combination, in a razor-strop, of a metal tube, a, a fixed block, b, a movable block, b, the handle-operated screw d, nut f, one or more boxes or receptacles formed upon I 0 or secured to the side or sides of the tube a, and one or more hone-tablets pivoted thereto,

all arranged and adapted to operate substan- In testimony whereof I have signed my name tially as and for the purposes described. to this specification, in the presence of two sub- '4. The combination of the strop frame or scribing witnesses, on this 15th day of May, A. tube a, the fixed block b, the movable block b, D. 1883. p 5 the handle-operated screw d, nut f, and the continuous belt 0, having its ends secured together SIGOURNEY \VALES. by the clasp h, clinched upon the inside of said belt, and arranged with said clinches bearing Witnesses: against the end of one of the blocks 1) or b, N. (J. LQMBARD,

10 substantially as described. W. E. LOMBARD. 

